New Zealand high jumper Hamish Kerr. Photo: Simon Stacpoole / www.photosport.nz
Hamish Kerr is aiming high, literally.
That may sound obvious for a high jumper, but the Olympic champion said height rather than titles is what he's focusing on.
The World Athletics Championships are the pinnacle event of 2025 and will present the 28-year-old Cantabrian the opportunity to complete the 'triple crown'.
While that would be nice, Kerr said it wasn't a priority.
"Obviously I want to win every time I go out there and world championships is something that I haven't done," Kerr told RNZ.
"What gets me out of the bed in the morning is the prospect of jumping high."
Kerr has a personal best of 2.36 metres, having achieved that twice last year. He completed that height to win the World Indoor title in Glasgow and repeated it to get into the jump-off for the gold medal at the Paris Olympics.
However, 2025 is about cementing what he learnt from last year and continuing to develop.
"This year is about what makes me tick on tour and feeling connected to the places I'm going to.
"Knowing that in the next few years 2.40m is definitely the main goal."
That may be some way off for Kerr who has a best height this year of just 2.30m.
"I'd be happy with 2.36m this year and 2.4m is a goal for 2026-27."
Cuban Javier Sotomayor set the world record of 2.45 in 1993.
Hamish Kerr during the International Athletics Meet in Christchurch, 2025. Photo: © Photosport Ltd 2025 www.photosport.nz
For now Kerr is in Monaco preparing for the next Diamond League meeting. He will stay in Europe before heading to the world champs in Tokyo in September.
With an increase in funding since his Olympic success Kerr is now able to take members of his support team overseas with him.
Coach James Sandilands often travels with him but now he'll have his strength and conditioning coach and physiotherapist with him for periods of his European campaign.
"They are the people who ultimately at the end of the day are the ones who are the difference between me doing well and not.
"To be able to have those guys on the ground is super beneficial especially with the data they can gather while I'm in that full competition mode."
Kerr admits that 2024 was such a big year for him that it has taken a while to get back to where he wants to be.
"I'm pretty confident that we're starting to find some nice form again and we're really trying to peak in September (world champs)."
Kerr tops the Diamond League standings after a win in Morocco in May.
Following the Monaco meeting this week he'll spend a month training in the south of France before another three Diamond League meets and then the world champs.
